With the new crusade rules for 40k now in full swing its not super surprising to see our first expansion for the format – Beyond the Veil. Its a little late (with the postage services suffering right now that’s totally understandable) but never the less, we wanted to share some thoughts before we get on the table and give them a try.
What is it?
Beyond the Veil is a spiral bound (oh my god – this format is amazing for events and ease of use at the table. Keep doing this format Games Workshop!) book of 112 pages of content aimed at letting you experience the horrors of the Pariah Nexus and the eerie region of space the imperium is exploring. Of those 112 pages the last 40 something are repeats of the basic rules, actions, core stratagems, terrain, rare rules and so on. That gives us about 72 pages of new stuff to explore so lets get into it.
The story component of the book is sadly just 3 pages. It’s a quick explanation of the war zone, its history and then some background around the blackstone pylons as well. The map is a nice touch (page 7) which shows a snapshot of the systems, which of those are being affected the most and those who are on the hit list for the Ordos Xenos.
After that – we hit the missions and rules.
We get 6 mission for each game size (combat patrol, incursion, strike force & onslaught) and a detailed pregame process to set up the game. We also get some cool agendas to choose which add to the one available in the core book – basically one or 2 per category.
The new battle traits available are a little limited but very much in theme with the necron/nexus situation and for crusade its super flavourful. Throes of rage looks really good for monsters with multiple attacks off the bat, generating extra hits on natural 6’s to hit.
We get a selection of new relics available as well – all with hints around the necron history of them and with the new necron codex in hand its even more apparent. Things like the blackstone ankh and solar shift core harken back to the necron relics and lore and its great they are linked but not to specific. The new battle scars are also a nice addition – reflecting the madness of the nexus that invades minds of soldiers or vehicles that might become afflicted with power spikes and flighty machine spirits.
There is a new mechanic for games within the nexus – Investigation Points. These are in addition to requisition and give you some pretty interesting benefits as you explore the region in games. Gaining requisition, unlocking the full power of a new relic and gaining battle honours are just a couple of things you can do as you investigate the madness further!
The theatre of war section adds another layer of depth to games in the region, allowing you to integrate strategic setbacks and afflictions for both players, representing the impact the nexus has on supply lines and the health of combat forces. Lowered invulnerable saves from too much blackstone in the region or a split, faltering deployment are just a couple of the hurdles you might have to overcome in the nexus!
The missions themselves feel pretty familiar to anyone who has played a 9th edition game albeit with some interesting (and close!) deployment zones. One mission that did catch my eye for the Strike Force size game is Abandoned City on page 54/55 of the book. This is one of a couple of missions that detail the volume and type of terrain for a mission – with no less than 9 area terrain pieces prescribed for this mission. These terrain pieces also are part of the mission (needing to be investigated by your forces) so it doesn’t feel forced – it’s a literal street by street sweep in search of vital information!
So final thoughts – would I recommend ‘Beyond the Veil’ – assuming you like crusade as a format then absolutely! My only negative thoughts come from the lack of info that leads into the actual rules section and with a third of the book again covering core rules (which you will have all ready from the main rule book which you need to play crusade in the first place) I can’t help but think that the third of the book that is a copy and paste could be trimmed or removed in favour of more stories, art and theme. Even reproduced info from the Psychic Awakening Pariah would have been preferable to set the scene in more depth. I can also appreciate the fact that the book allows you the space to tell the story your way for your crusade and not ‘force’ you to fit your own narrative around the events described. That’s a tough balance to get right.
All in all – if you love telling stories on the table with your crusade forces – give Beyond the Veil a look!